I Like My Sugar With Coffee and Cream
by Caramel Machete
Summary: Officer Dick Grayson and his training officer, Sergeant Amy Rohrbach, search for decent coffee during a long shift. They find coffee but also some unexpected action. Dick wants all of the sugar. Amy begins to question her rookie's sanity. Takes place sometime between Chuck Dixon's Nightwing between volumes 50 and 60.


Officer Dick Grayson laughed as his partner, Amy Rohrbach, stole yet another one of his cheesy fries. "Do you wish you'd ordered these instead of the turkey sandwich and salad?"

"I'm happy with my food. I'm just happy to also steal your food," she responded. "What are you going to do about it, Rookie?"

Dick shrugged, not bothered at all. He knew this was how Amy showed affection. "Here, have some of my shake too," he offered and slid it to closer to her.

Amy shook her head. "Not all of us can eat a double cheeseburger, french fries with extra cheese, and a chocolate shake and remain conscious for the second half of our shift."

Dick grinned at her before taking an extra large bite of his burger. After he swallowed, he said, "You sound just like A. . . a friend of mine. He's constantly nagging me to eat healthier."

Amy wondered what name Dick had almost started to say. Her young partner was affable, but despite his near-constant chatter he revealed very little personal information about himself. She knew that grew up in Gotham and he'd once mentioned he did gymnastics as a kid when she'd questioned a flashy move in the field. On the other hand, she knew all about his taste in movies, tv, music, food and sports teams. He used his charm and wit to keep the subject matter away from revealing anything about his life before moving to Bludhaven.

After they finished their lunch, the two police officers headed to the squad car for the second half of their patrol.

"I'll drive," Dick offered cheekily.

Amy's only response was a disbelieving snort.

Whatever argument Dick was about to make was forestalled by a giant yawn.

"Do you need to head back inside the restaurant to get a coffee to go, Grayson?" Amy jibed.

"The food was delicious. The coffee, not so much," he wryly replied. "If we happen to pass a coffee shop, I'll get something. I'll be fine until then."

"Whatever you say, Rookie. So what's the excuse for your obvious exhaustion this time?"

"Got caught up watching an all-night movie marathon. Hammer horror films."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Yesterday you said you went out clubbing, the day before that you said you were playing video games, and the day before that you said you were visiting your girlfriend in Gotham."

"She works nights, but she works from home. She likes it if I can keep her company sometimes." Dick smirked suggestively.

"Does her boss know she's entertaining her boyfriend when she's supposed to be working?"

"She's her own boss. And most of her clients know me already." Dick smiled slightly, like he had said something mildly amusing.

"Sounds like a good setup. What does she do?"

"She's an IT security consultant."

"Do you have a picture?"

"Sure. I'll find one and show you when we stop for a second."

They drove in companionable silence while Dick fished a photo out of his wallet. At the next red light, he handed it to Amy. The photo showed Dick sitting down with a laughing red head sitting on his lap.

"She's beautiful. And gainfully employed. What did you do to deserve her?" she teased as she started driving again.

Dick just laughed. "I ask myself that every day."

"Awww, never knew you were such a softy, Grayson. Have any more pictures?"

"If I knew you were going to demand to see every photo I own, I would have insisted on driving," he griped, but thumbed through his wallet anyway.

"Ah, this is the place I wanted to take you," Amy said as she turned into the lot of a small independent gas station.

Dick looked surprised. "I thought we still had a three quarters left."

"Not for gas, for coffee. You're such a coffee snob, I thought you'd like this place."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "A gas station?"

"Yeah. Do you like Turkish coffee?"

"I love Turkish coffee."

"I know the owners. I've been getting coffee there for years. It's a family business and the parents immigrated from Turkey years ago. All the kids take turns working. They all know how to make the coffee, and it's amazing. Great family."

"Sounds great. I have a soft spot for family businesses," Dick responded, sounding just a bit wistful and almost sad, despite the smile on his face.

"So show me the next picture and then you can buy us some coffee."

Dick handed the second photo to Amy. It showed Dick crouching down next to the same woman sitting in a wheelchair. Amy hid her surprise. "What's her name?"

"Barbara."

"Have you been together long?" Amy asked as she returned the picture. Something about Barbara seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place her.

"We've only been dating for a short time, but we've known each other since we were kids. Now let's get that caffeine."

The two officers entered the store to the cheery jangling of a bell and an empty store. After a minute, Hamza, one of the owners' sons, emerged from the back room and greeted them, twisting his hands through his clean apron. Amy guided Dick to the counter to order the coffee. A small table behind the counter held a portable electric burner, a colorfully decorated and engraved copper pot with a long wooden handle called a _cezve_ , and other supplies. Hamza barely made eye contact as he gave Amy a small smile. "Nice to see you again, Sergeant Rohrbach."

Amy returned his greeting, then ordered two cups of coffee. "How sweet do you like your coffee, Grayson?" she asked. "Hamza adds the sugar as the coffee brews." He had said he liked Turkish coffee, but she wasn't sure how familiar he was with the process.

"I like it really sweet. Do you mind sharing it if I ask for lots of sugar? That way he'll only have to make one pot."

Amy shrugged. "No problem."

Dick smiled warmly at Hamza. " _Cok sekerli, lütfen_." (Lots of sugar, please.)

Hamza nodded but didn't comment on Dick speaking Turkish, and reached into a small fridge under the counter to pull out a filtered water pitcher. He poured the water into one of the ornate little cups, then into the _cezve._ He filled up the cup two more times, then added finely ground coffee and several spoons of sugar directly to the pot. He gave the mixture a thorough stir before placing the _cezve_ on the burner. Hamza's eyes flicked between the brewing coffee and the door leading to the backroom.

"Did we interrupt anything, Hamza?" Amy asked.

Hamza kept his back to them as he continued to watch the pot. For a moment, Dick wasn't sure if Hamza was going to answer, until Hamza replied. "No, no, not at all. I was doing a bit of bookkeeping, but customers who appreciate proper coffee are never an interruption," Hamza replied.

Dick turned to Amy. "Do you mind if I grab a snack while it brews?"

She chuckled. "I can't believe you're already hungry, but go right ahead." Amy watched him wander off, thinking that she had never met an adult with such a sweet tooth.

Dick pretended to concentrate on the snack selection as he surveyed the store. Hamza hadn't seemed overly excited to see Amy, which struck him as odd considering how fondly she had described the family. He noted one door marked "Staff Only" in addition to a small hallway with a sign saying "Bathrooms." The parking lot only out front had one other car besides their squad car, a black Honda sedan. Two small cafe tables with chairs were squeezed in between the front wall and the side of the counter. Dick wandered back to the counter.

"Are you the only one working today, Hamza?" he asked in a pleasant but uninterested tone, as if he was making polite conversation but didn't much care about the answer.

Hamza flicked his eyes to Dick briefly then returned to staring at the brewing coffee. "Yes, sir. Just me today."

Amy added, "It's a big shop for just one person."

Hamza didn't look up from his work as he nodded. "My sister was supposed to come in today, but she was ill. No one else could cover her. It seems everyone in the family is sick too." From Hamza's tense shoulders and a nearly invisible twitch of his lips, Dick felt certain that Hamza lied.

"A lot of nasty viruses going around this time of year," Amy commiserated. "My oldest missed three days of school last week."

"I wanted to check if you wanted some chocolate or candy," Dick asked Amy. "I like something sweet with my coffee."

"Of course you do, but no thanks. I'm good."

Dick casually strolled back to the candy aisle and stared down at the selection, as if choosing the perfect chocolate bar was the most important issue of his life. He'd seen a smaller parking lot behind the store when they had arrived, but hadn't been able to see how many cars had been parked. He had seen at least one car for sure. If the family parked in the back, who did the Honda belong to? After a couple of minutes of perusing the candy bar selection, Dick grabbed a Twix bar and headed back to stand next to Amy.

"The coffee isn't quite ready yet," Hamza said. "If you want to sit down, I can bring it to you as soon as it's ready."

"Thanks, Hamza," Amy replied as she led Dick to one of the tables.

Dick wanted to clue Amy in on his concerns. They were close enough to Hamza that he would be able to hear anything said in a normal voice, and Dick didn't want to risk potentially alarming Hamza if he saw them whispering. Dick could signal her with Morse code or even sign language without Hamza seeing, but wasn't sure if she knew either one.

"Do you speak any Turkish, Sarge?" he asked instead.

"I've picked up a few words over the years, but no. You obviously know some, too."

"Just enough to order coffee," Dick grinned. "But I like learning languages. It's kind of a hobby of mine. What about you?"

"I took German in high school. My grandpa spoke it too. He was born here but his parents spoke German at home."

" _Irgendwas stinnt nicht_ ," Dick responded quietly, smiling like he was having fun testing Amy on her German. " _Er hat gelogen. Er ist nicht allein."_ (Something is wrong. He is lying. He is not alone.)

Amy smiled back. "Can you repeat that, Rookie? High school was a little longer ago for me than for you."

Dick leaned casually against his chair and repeated the German more slowly, then said, "I asked where the bathroom was and ordered another beer. It's all I remember." He shook his head and chuckled.

Amy contemplated Dick, still smiling but with intense eyes. " _Wie . . . kennt?"_ (How . . . . know?)

Dick shrugged, acting casual while he met Amy's stare with a meaningful look of his own. " _Aufruf zur Sicherung. Ich werde mich umsehen."_ (Call for backup. I'm going to look around.)

Amy frowned for a second as she puzzled out exactly what he said, then glared at her partner. She wasn't a huge fan of her rookie giving her orders, and sitting here in doing nothing while the less experienced officer snooped around felt wrong. But her German wasn't good enough to communicate a different plan. After a few seconds of contemplation, she nodded her acceptance.

Dick sighed in relief. For a moment he had been certain that Amy was going to refuse or at least try to come up with a different plan. He stood as he whispered, "Give me two minutes, then call."

He waved cheerfully at Hamza. "Hey, I'm going to run back to the car to grab my wallet. I'll be right back!"

Hamza grunted in response. Dick trotted out the door and headed in the general direction of the squad car, but as soon as he was positive he was out of Hamza's line of sight, he turned and ran towards the back. He slowed down once he rounded the corner of the building to scope out the back parking lot. As he had suspected, he saw two cars. The back wall didn't have any windows, and a single metal door. Dick prowled to the door, which showed evidence of tampering. He gave it a cautious tug, and it moved just enough to reveal that it wasn't latched or locked. Dick took out his pistol, though he had no intention of firing it. He had to act the part of a normal police officer. Holding the gun in both hands, he eased the door open with his shoulder and slipped through.

Years of stealth training ensured that Dick moved silently, even in his heavy uniform shoes. The backroom served as both storage and office space. Metal shelves lined the walls, and most of the rest of the room held neat stacks of boxes. Dick carefully moved between the towers of merchandise to the door leading to shop floor until he reached the area serving as an office.

Two men in cheap Halloween face masks faced away from Dick, attention focused on a small TV on the desk, showing a grainy security feed from four cameras recording the main store area. The nearest goon was a very large blonde man, lazily pointing a sawed-off shotgun in the general direction of a dark-haired woman, bound to an office chair with duct tape. The second man stood close to the hostage, and had a small, wiry build with greasy brown hair, and held a small handgun.

The TV showed video from four cameras recording the main store area. Dick could see Amy in one shot and Hamza in another, while a third shot overlooked the door. Hamza and the criminals had known that two cops had showed up from the second they walked through the door.

At this point, proper procedure would be to wait for backup, and Amy should have called dispatch already. Dick decided not to intervene for now, but stay where he was to keep an eye on the situation. Dick moved a few steps closer, hiding behind the stack of boxes closest to the perps and let go of his gun with his right hand. He took a moment to study the criminal closest to him. The other man stood at least four inches taller than Dick, with the body of a linebacker gone a bit to seed. Dick wouldn't be surprised if the thug outweighed Dick by 100 pounds.

The linebacker muttered quietly to his co-conspirator, but if Dick concentrated he could make out every word. "Why is the fuzz still here? How long does it take to make a frickin' cup of coffee?"

Dick frowned at the edge of anxiety in the culprit's voice. The guy seemed more scared than angry, and either emotion was dangerous. He couldn't see the other's face, but his body language spoke volumes of his agitation.

"Where did the other cop go? What's he up to?" the second criminal responded.

"Shit. Maybe we should just end this now," the linebacker shifted his weight back and forth between his feet, then took a step closer to the hostage.

Dick decided that the time to wait was over; he needed to act - now. He stilled his breathing, took three swift steps forward, and kicked the big man hard in the back of the knee. As the man stumbled and started to drop, Dick reached his right arm around the thug's neck, squeezing it between his bicep and forearm. Dick used his left hand to push the crook's head down. This cut off the flow of blood in the carotid arteries, and in less than 20 seconds the big man crumpled to the floor. Dick caught the man's weight and lowered him soundlessly to the floor.

Dick moved towards the second gunman. He grabbed the man's outheld gun and twisted it hard, breaking the punk's hold. Simultaneously, Dick kneed the criminal in the small of his back and elbowed him at the corner of his neck and shoulder, forcing him down to the ground. "You have the right to remain silent." Dick continued to Mirandize the hoodlum as he cuffed him, then moved to check on the first criminal. Dick took the big man's pulse and figured he'd be out for at least another three minutes. He used his foot to slide both of the crooks' guns under the desk and out of reach.

"Hi, I'm Officer Grayson," Dick said as he ripped the duct tape binding the woman to the chair. "I'm going to take the tape off your mouth. This will hurt for a second." He waited until she gave a small nod, then yanked the tape away. He grimaced in sympathy as she rubbed the raw skin on his lips. "Sorry, I know that stings."

She looked up a him with wide brown eyes. "My name is Emine. Where is my brother?"

"He's safe, and should be with my partner. I think you know her - Amy Rohrbach."

Relief flooded her face. "Yes, she is a good friend of my family."

"She should have already called for backup. Go ahead and find your brother. I'll watch over these idiots."

Emine hurried out to the front of the store, and Dick moved to stand in front of the linebacker, keeping his gun drawn in case the man woke up before backup arrived. He didn't have to wait long before he heard the familiar wail of police sirens. He couldn't wait to see Amy's face when he told her what he did.

"Grayson, you fool. Of all of the blockheaded, dimwitted and cocky stunts rookies have ever pulled, taking down two armed suspects with your bare hands has to be the most imbecilic I have ever heard," Amy shouted.

Dick flinched. "The big guy was getting very agitated. I thought he was about to do something really crazy." This certainly wasn't the reaction he was expecting from Amy.

"What? More crazy than what you just did?"

"Yeah, even more crazy than that," Dick replied, shrugging. "He acted like he was about to lose it, and I was worried he was going to shoot Emine."

"What made you think tackling them was even a good idea?"

"What if I said too many action movies and watching wrestling on Saturday mornings?"

Amy looked at her partner in disbelief for a few moments, before finally shaking her head. "Do you have anything else to say for yourself?"

Dick gave a cheeky, hopeful grin. "I've learned that if you're in a hole, you need to stop digging."

Amy snorted. "Your crazy stunt worked, I'll give you that. Though I don't see how we are both going to survive the rest of your rotation with me."

"Aw, come on now, Sarge. You love me really," Dick cajoled, giving Amy his best puppy dog eyes.

"Did anyone ever tell you that there is a thin line between love and hate?" Amy asked, but she grinned back.

There is definitely something weird about this kid, she thought. I'm going to have to keep a close eye on him until I figure it out.

She sighed. "Come on now, partner. You are going to have a lot of paperwork to fill out."


End file.
